Altered
by Sandrine C
Summary: Set after 4x14/4x15. Klaus finds his target as a dreaded evil is unleashed upon Mystic Falls and he is forced to make choices between pride and the humanity he has long denied still existed. (Klaus-Caroline)
1. Chapter 1

**Altered**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

Klaus watched his prey from the shadows. The darkness did more than cloak him; it was as if it unfolded from him. The boy looked over his shoulder—once, twice and a third time for good measure before he let his guard down. Klaus could almost read his mind. He felt safe, at least for this one night.

He was wrong.

Tyler cut through the throng of people on the beach, the lone figure who did not sway to the beat. He went straight for the bonfire and watched the flames as if it could cast enough light to chase the darkness that followed him.

"Going soft?"

"No." Klaus answered, not bothering to turn around.

Elijah stepped out of the shadows to stand beside his brother. "You've come a long way to simply watch the boy, brother."

"Plotting, not watching," Klaus said not taking his eyes off his mark, "I'm imagining the thousands of ways I can make him suffer, break him and bring him to the point of death only to extend the pain a little bit more."

The corner of Elijah's lips twitched but his face remained impassive. "You've changed, Niklaus."

Klaus' eyes narrowed to slits as he turned to face his brother, "Have you slithered out of the hole you've been hiding in to annoy me or do you have a point? If you do not, I suggest we end this unwanted reunion."

"The brother I knew would have killed him on sight for his crimes against you." Elijah answered calmly.

"Tyler doesn't deserve that privilege. Not after he left me no choice but to slaughter my hybrids," Klaus said in a low voice, turning again towards his target, "He will wish he died with them."

"And yet you stand here, waiting for what?" Elijah asked, "Or are you looking for a way out of your oath? An excuse, perhaps, to let him live…to keep from breaking someone's heart perhaps?"

In a flash, Klaus had Elijah pinned against the wall, his eyes burning with anger, "Last I recall you ran from Mystic Falls, coward that you are. You have no idea what I've been through. Do not meddle in things you know nothing of. Do not try me, Elijah. I might just forget you're my brother."

"I have a message," Elijah rasped out, "Left pocket."

Klaus released him, his jaw set as he held out his hand. "Well, give it to me! I haven't got all day. People to kill, terror to spread. Not all of us have the luxury of being pathetic messengers. An Original reduced to this menial task. The shame, Elijah, the shame you bring to my doorstep."

Elijah reached into his pocket and handed over the envelope without a word. Klaus tore it open and unfolded the letter, his face changing as his eyes traveled down the page. He crumpled it in his fist as he spoke to his brother.

"I know Katerina has the cure and cannot wait to use it on me. I will give you the benefit of the doubt that you have been duped into believing this is anything but a trap. So hurry along now, I have a murder to finish plotting."

"I saw it for myself, brother," Elijah said quietly, "Silas has Caroline. It has become apparent that she has a bigger role in this story than anyone ever guessed. No one thought to protect her and now he has her."

"Why would do you even care, Elijah?" Klaus asked, "Who sent you? And why did they choose you? Rebekah could have been an easier choice seeing as she's chosen to play a part in their sorry quest for mortality. Why bring you into play?"

"That is not important," Elijah said, "At least, not now. We'll get to all those answers eventually but what matters now is that you go back to Mystic Falls, if not for her then do it because Silas can end even _you_, brother."

Klaus's fists tightened by his side, his eyes closed as he spoke, "When was this written?"

"Exactly a week ago." Elijah said.

"Then she's as good as dead." Klaus said evenly, his fist tightening, betraying the building fury in him, "There is nothing I can do for her. I will deal with Silas when he crosses my path."

"No, Niklaus," Elijah said cutting him off as Klaus started to walk away, "You can still save her. There is still time before the full moon."

Klaus shook his head and pushed his brother out of the way, determined not to lose Tyler who had stood up to leave. "Elijah, leave me be. In fact, leave the moon in peace as well. Find another fool to play hero. I am a monster. I cannot be saved any more than Caroline at this point."

Elijah's hand shot out to hold Klaus back, "You will regret this, Niklaus."

"Then I will bear that burden," Klaus whispered as he felt Elijah vanish as suddenly as he had arrived.

Klaus stood still once more. Watching it all until Tyler slid out of view completely. He did not follow the boy. He remained motionless, entranced by the same fire that held Tyler's attention minutes before. He watched the flames dance and grow as the night wore on, darker and darker until the very last second before dawn. And then it went up in smoke, curling around itself as sunlight washed over the ashes. Klaus closed his eyes and saw her once again, letting the nightmare visit him—Caroline gasping for air as she fought the venom of his bite, her plea to spare that mongrel and the look in her eyes as he left her on the porch.

He took a deep breath and walked away, making peace with the choice he made. He was letting Tyler go. He was throwing away his damned pride and all common sense he had left. He will save Caroline, or die trying, and hang on to the one hope for happiness he had in a thousand years. He smiled to himself, wondering how he ever forgot what it felt like to attempt the impossible without waiting for anything in return, just the comfort of knowing she was safe. It would be enough for him. For another thousand lifetimes, it would be enough to save her again.

* * *

Caroline slipped in and out of consciousness, unable to even move her fingers. Every limb was too heavy to move. It was simpler to just lie there and do nothing.

"_She's my friend, Shane. She's not a part of this."_

"_You have to look at the bigger picture. Think of Jeremy. Think of your Grams, Bonnie. You can do this."_

"_The bigger picture."_

The voices seemed to know her but she couldn't place them. She knew someone named Bonnie. Or maybe it was Ronnie. She wasn't sure. She only wished they would stop disturbing her sleep, after all, she needed her beauty rest. It wouldn't do for a once Miss Mystic Falls to have circles under her eyes. What would they say? She couldn't be less than perfect.

"_It is almost time. Are you ready?"_

"_I don't think I can do this."_

"_You have to. It's the only way to get them back. Don't you want to see them again?"_

"_I do."_

"_Then you must—"_

There was a loud crash somewhere to her left. Caroline wanted to lift her head but she couldn't. She could barely open her eyes so she settled for listening. There was a flash of heat, followed by a wave of energy that shot right through her and growls that emanated from all over the room. An explosion tore across the room and blasted her off the table, slamming her against a wall. All at once the screams got louder and louder until all Caroline could think about how to make the noise stop.

"_Shhh, they're gone, I've got you. You're safe now."_

Somewhere in her mind things clicked into place—she was the one screaming. Her bones had shattered into many pieces on impact and the pain was blinding. It added up, didn't it? What was she even doing here…wherever here was? She felt herself healing slowly, the process burning through her but she knew she would survive it. She was safe. She believed this voice. She felt sure of the arms that held her. They were strong. They would not let her fall or crash or anything that would cause her pain. He would protect her. He saved her.

Caroline concentrated once more on opening her eyes. Slowly light filtered in through her eyelids, and when the veil lifted she found herself staring into the eyes of the man who saved her. All she could see was blue. Not the brown eyes she was searching for. No. There was only this endless blue, dark and unreadable, save for the worry that stared back at her.

Of course, it was him who saved her. Who else could go toe to toe with…she couldn't even remember who held her captive. It didn't matter now. Nothing mattered but this.

"Caroline?" the blue eyes searched hers, uncertain about something, "We don't have much time, love. I need to get you home. I've only weakened Silas and the witch but they'll be back for you. Do you understand?"

She couldn't nod, shake her head or speak. Caroline merely blinked and it was followed by a string of curses, anger and anxiety seeping from the words. He scanned the length of her, determining the extent of the damage meant she couldn't walk out of there even if he supported her. Briefly, she wondered why he bothered to come at all but then his arms swept her up, her head rested on his chest and then she remembered he loved her_—loves _her.

"Klaus," she whispered so softly she wondered if she actually managed to say it out loud.

He froze and it seemed that time stood still with him. After a beat, he recovered. "Yes?"

Caroline closed her eyes and sank deeper into his arms. No matter what danger lay ahead, she had this moment to hold on to where no fear could touch her.

"Thank you."

Klaus pressed his lips on her forehead and held her a bit tighter, wondering how long he could make this moment last.

"You're welcome, Caroline. Rest well, love. I've got you. You're safe now."

* * *

_A/N: One-shot for now given I have a number of unfinished stories (sorry about that) but I really love this pairing and if time permits…maybe it will be a longer story. For now, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed that. _


	2. Chapter 2: Sacrifice

**Altered, Chapter 2: Sacrifice**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

_**A/N: Too many threads I wanted to continue in the previous bit so this is no longer a one-shot. Enjoy reading!**_

"_Do not go," the man said softly as he cradled the dying woman in his arms, "Do not leave me for a place I cannot yet follow."_

"_It is my time," she said, smiling through the pain that tore through every part of her._

"_I have failed you," he said, tears streaming down his face._

"_No, that is not true," she said placing her hand on his, "You have brought such light and happiness to my life. I cannot thank you enough for that."_

"_You are dying because of me…because my power is not enough to save you," he said._

"_It is as it should be, my love," she said gently, "You need not save me. I am mortal and it is part of the order of the world that I must die. It is not upon your shoulders to change fate and I do not expect it of you."_

"_Stay with me," he begged as her eyelids fluttered and closed, "I beg you. Do not go."_

"_I love you, Silas," she whispered and breathed her last._

* * *

Caroline woke up with a start, fragments of the dream slipping from her mind even as she fought to hold on to the images— a woman with blond hair, blue eyes and a man whose tears were made of blood.

Her train of thought was interrupted when her bedroom door flew open.

"You're up. Finally." Elena said. She turned her head and shouted to someone in another room, "She's awake. You guys can continue arguing here."

"I've been abducted and drugged for possibly a month and she's still talking like Katherine 2.0?" Caroline asked Stefan as he entered her room, trailed by Damon.

"It was just a week, Barbie," Damon said rolling his eyes, "Although, now I'm wishing it were longer."

"Can we get this over with? I've got things to do." Elena said as she examined her nails.

"Damon," Stefan said with a warning, shaking his head, "Can we all, please, just discuss this like rational adults?"

"I'm bored." Elena said, running her hand over Caroline's dresser and examining the trinkets on it, "It's really quite simple. I don't understand why we need to keep talking about it. We want Bonnie back and Silas to be gone. We have something he wants—that's you, Caroline. Katherine will give us the cure to use on Silas if Klaus promises not to hunt her anymore. So, we use Caroline as bait and then you can figure out how to use the cure without me. Now, are we done here?"

"She does sound like Katerina but sadly none of her ingenuity," Klaus said as he leaned against the doorway, "I can barely recognize you, Elena. I never thought you had it in you to put your friends in danger and be selfish. I must say, it suits you."

"What is _he_ doing in _my_ house?" Caroline said glaring at Klaus, "Aren't you supposed to be off hunting down Tyler?"

"What makes you think that I've not checked that off my list yet?" Klaus challenged, his eyes flashing in anger.

"Enough!" Stefan said standing in between them, holding off Klaus with one hand as he looked at Caroline and shook his head, "Let's just focus on the problem we have now."

Tears blurred her vision, her heart twisting with the thought that Tyler maybe dead. But Caroline nodded for Stefan to continue, and forced herself to ignore the vampire that leaned against the wall, arms crossed in front of his chest as he stared at her as if she was the only person in the room.

"Look, Elena is right. We need to use Caroline as bait because face it, this," Damon said gesturing to each of them, "This is all we have. Well, plus a few other Originals and the queen of manipulative vampires, but frankly, I don't see how else we can get him to even talk to us unless he's decided he wants someone with dark hair, blue eyes and washboard abs."

Klaus pushed off the wall and faced Damon, "Out of the question, mate. You do not offer up Caroline as some sacrifice to that bastard."

"Hey, was volunteering back there but the dude doesn't want me. He wants Vampire Barbie. Besides, it's not your call to make," Damon said facing Klaus squarely, "You're new to the team so let me explain how things work around here—we go with the plan that works. Right now, it's this or let Silas rip open the other side for all hell to rain on this side of the universe, so either get with the program or get out."

"It's not yours to decide either, Damon," Stefan said as he sat on the edge of the bed and addressed Caroline, "It's a lot to put on your shoulders and I wouldn't ask if I could help it. But we're running out of time and—"

" And you are asking because it's all we have right now to stop whatever kind of crazy Silas is up to," Caroline said with a sigh, "Okay, what do I have to do?"

"Caroline, don't do this," Klaus said in a low voice, "You don't need to do this. I can take you away from Mystic Falls. Just say the word and we can disappear, go anywhere you want."

"I don't run away from the people I love," Caroline said her lips set in a thin line, "I'm doing this."

"Right, running away—that's Tyler's thing, isn't it?" Klaus spat out furiously.

The slap that followed left the room in complete silence. Klaus lifted his hand and traced the mark of Caroline's hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes and grasped her wrist as she moved to hit again. He pulled her hand to his chest and stared into her eyes as he spoke.

"I am glad you don't seem to remember the pain you were in when I carried you away from the mess Silas and Bonnie left you in. I am thankful that I am the only one who has to live with the memory of you screaming so loud until you just stopped producing any kind of sound. And you don't know how relieved I am that you're here, angry as you are, strong enough to stand up to me. I deserve that and possibly a million more for what I've done to you in the past. But maybe I wasn't clear before so I'll repeat what I said—I'd never hurt you and I'll be damned if I let anyone else harm any part of you, even if that means I need to save you from yourself."

"Let. Me. Go." Caroline said, forcing each word out, fighting to keep her voice from shaking as bits and pieces of her captivity returned to her. Klaus shook his head and freed her from his grasp.

Elena clapped her hands loudly, "Well, I think we're all in agreement now, save for one dissenting vote that doesn't really count anyway. Caroline is now the bait and I think we can take a break maybe for an hour while you boys call Katherine to bring the cure and then hash out the details with Elijah and Rebekah. Sounds great? Okay? I really have to go now. See you when I see you!"

Stefan shot his brother a look. Damon responded by throwing his hands in the air and walked out to follow Elena, stopping only for a second to look back at Caroline.

"For what it's worth, I know it's a lot we're asking of you so I'll do my part to keep you alive. We'll get Bonnie back…and maybe somewhere along the way, we'll get Elena back too."

Caroline nodded and watched Damon leave. She sat down again on her bed and placed her face in her hands.

"How did we get here?" Caroline said in a small voice, "Before my problems were just pyramid formations and choosing what decade should be the theme for the dance. FYI, with the body count so far, I think it's safe to say that decades dances are cursed and we should stay away from them." She sighed and looked much like a little girl as she continued, "Why is that that now I'm undead and stronger than I've ever been, I've come closer to death more times than I can count."

"I don't know." Stefan said, shaking his head, "But I promise you. I will keep trying to find another way and this is only a last resort. Okay?"

"Okay," Caroline said.

Stefan squeezed her shoulder, "You should rest. We can talk more later."

"What are you still doing here?" Caroline whipping around to face Klaus, who stood calmly in the corner. "Shoo, go away."

"Really? And who exactly will make sure no one runs off with you again while you sleep?" Klaus said pointedly, "I don't see anyone else around strong enough to protect you nor do you have access to a witch who can seal this house against your enemies. Like it or not, if you want to see this through, you need me to keep you safe until you carry out this idiotic plan against Silas. Besides, we both know the Salvatore brothers are preoccupied with babysitting the brat they made out of my last doppelganger."

"Fine!" Caroline said, exasperated, "Stay, go—I don't care just get out of my room!"

"Fair enough," Klaus said as he pushed himself away from the wall. He walked towards her and placed a piece of paper by her bedside.

"What's that?" Caroline said with a tired sigh, "It's not your number, is it? I hardly think now is the time for lame flirting."

Klaus stared at her, biting back the laughter that she always somehow managed to bring out of him, "No, no, that's not it."

Caroline raised her eyebrows at him but picked up the piece of paper and read the few lines on it, "What is this? The address to your secret lair?"

"No," Klaus answered, "That's where you can find Tyler."

Caroline looked at him in surprise, "Why are you giving me this?"

"Because I'd rather you chase after him than have you running towards something I might not be able to protect you from," Klaus said quietly.

"If you found him," Caroline said staring into his eyes, "then why is he still alive?"

"Like I said, I'd never hurt you. Get some rest, Caroline, I'll just be outside," Klaus said as he walked out and closed her door behind him.

"My, my, how the mighty have fallen." Katherine whispered in his ear, coming out of the shadows.

In the blink of an eye, Klaus picked up Katherine and dragged her downstairs and threw her on the couch, "Still the little eavesdropper, Katherine, you haven't changed. Well, I'm sure you've heard that I never exactly said I agreed to your terms. Don't think for a second there is no price on your head."

Katherine smiled, leaned back and crossed her arms, "Oh, I don't think we need actual words to seal the deal. In fact, I think your compliance can be summed up in one little word, a name actually—Caroline."

Her grin widened when Klaus' jaw clenched but he remained silent. "See, only I know where it is now and I'll give it without hesitation, I'll even throw in some help along the way as long as you swear that we go our separate ways and live as we please. Simply put, you don't hunt me down, you don't kill me or even just bother me ever again."

"There are other ways to make you pay for your sins against me, Katerina," Klaus said evenly.

"And there are infinitely more ways that Silas can make Caroline suffer," Katherine said nonchalantly as she stood up, "Now, I'll leave you to think on that and—"

"No," Klaus said, "Bring back the cure. You have one hour."

"As you wish," Katherine said with a little bow, "but before I go, a little bit of unsolicited advice, you should kill Tyler. When all of this is over and the dust settles, it won't matter that you saved her a thousand times—she still won't choose you if Tyler is in the picture. There's no happy ending for our kind, Klaus. Not unless we force it to happen."

"Go, Katerina," Klaus said, "before I change my mind."

Katherine shrugged and was gone as quick as she had come. Klaus sat down and ran his hand through his hair. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"I don't need her to choose me. I don't need her to do anything but live."


	3. Chapter 3: Cut

**Altered, Chapter 3: Cut**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

Caroline tossed and turned, her sheets twisting around her until she was wound so tight that she had to fight her way free. Still, sleep would not come. She decided to count sheep, stars then simply rattled off numbers in her head. But rest remained elusive. Out of frustration she screamed into her pillow, loud as she could. When that wasn't enough she picked up the glass of water beside her, intent on throwing it across the room but instead she crushed it in her hands and the pain caused her to unleash another scream.

"What is going on?" Klaus said as he threw open the door to her room, his eyes darting around the room as he took in the mess around Caroline. The lines across his forehead deepened when he saw the blood that dripped down her arm.

"You're still here." Caroline said, shards of broken glass still in her hand.

Klaus sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, "Let me see that."

Caroline pulled back and cradled her hand, "I'm fine. It's nothing."

"Your hand begs to differ, love," Klaus said, reaching out for her, "What have you got to lose by letting me look at the damage?"

Caroline reluctantly placed her hand on his and turned her head away from him as he examined the cuts. "How bad is it?" she asked, wincing when she heard his sharp intake of breath. "I mean I know I'll heal but it still kinda stings and uh, how many pieces do you need to pull out?"

"Eight," Klaus said gently lifting her hand and placing a pillow under it. Caroline hissed and squeezed her eyes shut, "Okay, go. Just get it all out."

Klaus burst out laughing. The sound was unrestrained, raw and completely foreign to Caroline's ears. She glared at him and tugged her hand away but he wouldn't let go.

"My apologies, love," Klaus said, barely able to hold in his smile, "It's just that you've faced much worse than this and you're behaving like—"

"Like what?" Caroline challenged, "The next words out of your mouth better include 'a mature individual' or I'm giving you a thousand paper cuts on your hand. See how you do with that."

"Spoken like a mature individual," Klaus said with a smirk, just able to move aside fast enough to avoid Caroline's other hand from pinching his arm.

"Okay, okay, I'll watch my tongue. I'll be good but you need to keep still, Caroline," Klaus said as he turned his attention to her hand. She nodded but kept her eyes on the wall or anywhere but her hand. He touched the edge of one piece of glass but she immediately pulled her hand back.

"Sorry, I'm sorry." Caroline said shaking her head as she placed her hand back on the pillow again, "Instinct. Try again."

"Don't anticipate the pain," Klaus said as she held down her wrist firmly, "Your mind is making it worse than it is. Believe me, it won't hurt that much once we get it all out but you have to let me start."

"Then, distract me," Caroline said quickly, turning away from the sight of her wounded hand, "Just keep talking or something."

"Alright," Klaus said, "If there was nothing keeping you here in Mystic Falls, where would you want to go right this second?"

"I'm not running away. I already told you that," Caroline said, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

"Hypothetical question, Caroline," Klaus said, "You said to distract you so humor me, tell me where you'd rather be."

"Paris," she said with a sigh, "Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamed about going to the very top of the Eiffel Tower to just stare out at the city lights and the stars."

Klaus pulled out one piece and held tight as Caroline winced.

"I'm okay, keep going," she said, "What about you? Of all the places you've been, if you could leave right now, where would you go back?"

"The Andes," he said as he pulled out another piece from her hand.

"The hummingbird," Caroline said softly, "Have you changed your mind about wanting the cure?"

"No," Klaus answered, "If I took the cure, how can I keep saving you?"

He cleared his throat and continued, "Six to go. If you had to choose just one, what ability as a vampire would you want to keep?"

"You should be the one assigned to come up with questions for Miss Mystic Falls, supernatural edition." Caroline said with a small laugh, "Hmm, well I think I'd want to keep the healing thing."

"Not the strength, then?" Klaus said looking up at her.

"Not really," Caroline said slowly, "I mean, if I can outwit my opponent then I can avoid all the injuries but in case I do get hurt, at least I'll know I'll recover from it. It's a confidence thing I guess. It's easier to face the world if I know I can take most of what it throws at me. You?"

"Youth," Klaus answered softly as he continued to work.

Caroline placed her hand on his and made him stop. She raised her eyebrows at him when he looked up, "You're really that hung up on not growing old and dying in your sleep? How many centuries before you just get bored of this all?"

"Sometimes a thousand years is not enough to find what will give you peace," Klaus answered, "Look at the Salvatore brothers, would they have found Elena if not for what they are? Granted, meeting her may have well been what set all of this mess in motion but I doubt they'd change a thing if it means that in the end there's some version of a happily ever after."

"So you're saying, somewhere inside that blackest-of-black-heart of yours, you are just like the rest of us," Caroline said trying to hide her smile.

"Foolish?" Klaus said

"Hopeful," Caroline said, all traces of playfulness gone from her face, "Capable of believing there's a point to all this. Trusting that even if it doesn't make sense right now, this moment leads to one that will make everything worth it."

"There's too much blood on my hands, Caroline," Klaus said with a small smile, "Hope is not something for those who are not worthy of redemption."

"Give the world a reason to forgive you," Caroline said as he took out the last piece of broken glass, "You'll be surprised how much blood can be washed away if you let others help you."

"Maybe." Klaus said as he pulled away and stood up to leave. "But not today, love."

"Why not?" Caroline said, placing her hand on his arm to stop him.

"Because I'm still a monster, Caroline," Klaus answered, taking her hand and gently removing it from his arm, "And I need to be one until all of this is over if we want a fighting chance against Silas…to protect you."

"You really love me that much." Caroline said as Klaus walked out of her room. It wasn't a question. It was a statement, a fact she had just accepted.

"Yes, Caroline, I do." Klaus answered. He stopped just outside her door and turned slightly but didn't completely face her as he whispered,

"_I love you."_

* * *

Tyler stepped out of the diner and into the cold night. He checked his watch and counted how many hours he had before sunrise, when he had to move again—another town, another identity. He comforted himself by thinking at least this time he figured he was far away enough that he could stay for a couple more weeks than usual.

He walked towards his car and opened the door when a hand shot out to close it again. Instinct took over and Tyler flipped around to tackle whoever it was behind him.

"Bonnie!" Tyler said surprised, "What are you doing out here? Is everything okay back home? Is Caroline okay?"

"Relax, Tyler," a male voice called out beside him, "Everything's fine but not for long. That's why Bonnie and I are here. We need your help."

"Professor Shane?" Tyler said looking at the newcomer then back at his friend, "Bonnie? Are you okay? You look different."

"I'm sorry, Tyler," Bonnie said, a tear slipping from her eye as she stretched out her hand in front of her, "But we really need your help."

"What are you—?" Tyler managed to get out before the world spun around him until there was nothing but silence and darkness.

"Well done, Bonnie," Silas said, "Help me put him in the car. We need to take him to Mystic Falls."

Bonnie stood motionless as she stared at Tyler's body on the ground. "How many more of my friends have to get hurt? I don't think I can take any more of this."

"Bonnie," Silas said, placing his hands on her shoulders, "Look at me. Your Grams is waiting. My wife is waiting for me. They all are and we can't get to them unless we do this. Don't worry about Tyler. He will be fine. Silas will make sure of that. Okay? Now, come on. We have to go back and get Caroline."

"Then we're done?" Bonnie asked, her voice small as a child's.

"Yes," Silas answered, "She's the key. She is _everything_."


	4. Chapter 4: Madness

**Altered, Chapter 4: Madness**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

Elena looked over her shoulder, checking again if someone followed her. When she was sure she was alone, she ducked into an alley and through the backdoor of an old abandoned building.

"Took you long enough." Katherine said from the shadows. "I was beginning to think you finally got a clue and ran like hell out of this town."

Elena stepped forward and faced off with Katherine in the middle of the room. "Of course not. I wouldn't be stupid enough to make the same mistakes you did. It's not as if running got you anywhere because last I checked you're still bargaining with Klaus for your freedom. On the other hand, I intend to end things and fight to keep people I love or die trying."

"Well, I can certainly see you dying for it, that much I assure you. I see turning into a vampire also enhanced your lack of self-preservation," Katherine said with a smirk. "Obviously, you're no longer unfeeling as everyone believes you to be. I must say I'm impressed. I didn't think you could act so well or is this really the new you, Elena? Being a bitch suits you."

"Don't act so surprised, Katherine, it runs in our blood after all," Elena said, "I don't see how that's relevant to this."

"On the contrary, it has everything to do with what we are about to set in motion, Elena," Katherine said circling Elena, "See, I can't have you suddenly weepy if in case we have a fatality. I've never played on the losing side and I'm not about to start now."

"You talk too much, Katherine," Elena said, "Don't worry. If you drop dead, I promise I won't care. We don't have time for this. Did Klaus agree?"

"Of course," Katherine said as she rolled her eyes, "I'll give it to him later. He's so far gone in love with the cheerleader that he doesn't realize what he's gotten himself into. I assume you've got Elijah where we need him to be?"

Elena looked to her left to address the newcomer, "Rebekah?"

The original vampire held up the sword, "Present." Rebekah looked at Elena and Katherine and shrugged, "I really don't see why you've got so many boys drooling over that face, very average."

"For such an ancient creature, you take dumb blonde to a whole new level," Katherine said.

Rebekah's hand shot out to grip Katherine by the neck, "How about I rid the world of one evil manipulative bitch today? Elena's caught up with you on scheming, Katerina, so I think we can afford the loss."

"Put her down," Elena said, "We need her."

Rebekah tightened her hold as Katherine struggled, "Actually, _I _don't. I can simply take the cure from her and leave this entire town to burn."

"And let your brothers die with it?" Elena pointed out. "If you become human, can you imagine the guilt that will come with knowing you did something to kill your only remaining family? You won't be a vampire who can turn off her emotions at will, Rebekah. I'd think twice about that plan if I were you."

Rebekah growled but dropped Katherine hard against the cement floor. "Make no mistake, Katerina, one false move and I will end you, this entire town be damned. You should watch your back."

Rebekah turned to Elena, "Elijah is on his way to Caroline's house so let's get a move on. What in the world are we waiting for? We've got everything, haven't we?"

"Not quite," Elena said, "We still don't know if Klaus is capable of making that kind of a sacrifice. Katherine here is only second to him in selfishness."

"No, pretty sure I'm now on top of that list." Katherine answered, her voice unexpectedly soft as she held the cure against the light, "I'm the only one left without someone to save other than myself. Didn't expect that ancient immortals would fall for the same girl, one who wants to kill her and another who wants to save her. Now here we all are. Let the games begin."

* * *

"You're _still_ here?" Caroline exclaimed incredulously as she went into the living room and found Klaus standing by the window.

"You've said that already." Klaus replied without turning, "Should I take it as a good sign that you're unable to formulate coherent thoughts around me? People often get flustered around people they are attracted to."

"You're way off base, mister," Caroline said as she moved to stand next to him, "My question was one of complete disbelief over the fact that you can't seem to get the message that you're not exactly welcome here. I don't need a bodyguard. I'm a vampire. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much."

"Right," Klaus said, the corner of his lips turning up slightly as he spoke, "Of course. Remind me again how you plan on not getting killed by Silas? I hardly think batting your eyelashes will work with him."

"Seems to work with you," Caroline muttered under her breath.

Klaus tried to hide his smile as he looked at her reflection on the glass, "I heard that, Caroline."

"I _know_," Caroline said as she looked outside, her eyes bright even as she kept her lips in a tight line, "Now, what exactly are we waiting for?"

"Not _what_," Klaus said as a lone figure appeared as if out of nowhere, "_Who."_

"Is that Elijah?" Caroline asked, her eyes widening at the sight of the bruised and bloodied vampire, "What happened to him?"

Klaus ignored Caroline and opened the front door, "You better have good news this time, brother, or I might just shoot the messenger."

"Klaus!" Caroline said disapprovingly, as she took Elijah by the arm and led him through the hallway, "Seriously. Tone down the evil villain mode and help me get your brother to a chair."

Klaus growled impatiently but took Elijah from Caroline and guided him to the couch. "Happy? Should I make him some tea? Wrap a blanket around him?"

"That's your thing, isn't it?" Caroline said, "You do something nice and it throws you off that you have to compensate by behaving badly."

"Be glad I'm choosing sarcasm over blind rage," Klaus said, "Elijah, will you please assure Caroline that you are on the mend and have actually uncovered useful information against Silas?"

Elijah opened his mouth but he was gripped in a coughing fit and blood dribbled from the side of his lips. Caroline looked at Klaus in alarm as Elijah doubled over and vomited blood all over the floor.

"Get help, Caroline," Klaus said firmly.

"Who? I don't—" Caroline said frantically.

"Anyone, dammit, call anyone. Stefan, Damon, just call _someone_!" Klaus yelled as he tried to straighten out Elijah.

"What the hell is going on?" Klaus muttered as he watched helplessly as Elijah moaned in pain, blood gushing from him in a continuous torrent. From the corner of his mind he was aware that Caroline was making frantic gestures as she spoke to someone on the phone. He couldn't even bother to decipher who owned the voice that assured her they were on the way. All he could see was red. Blood, blood, blood.

Elijah shuddered as he heaved, fighting to speak through the ordeal. He swallowed thickly as he gripped Klaus by the shoulders, "Caroline…she's…she's…Silas…he believes it's her…listen…Qetsiyah created the veil to the other side using the blood of the woman Silas loved …one last death to undo it…Caroline...she's a descendant…the cure…he wants her to…take…then sacrifice…"

"You're wrong, Elijah, " Klaus said with a hollow voice, "Silas wants the cure for himself to cross over when he finally dies. What use will it be for him if Caroline takes it? Why not the blood of her mother?"

"No..Niklaus...It's too late. Qetsiyah…" Elijah got out before he doubled over again, his face ashen as more blood came out, "the witch made it almost impossible…but…but Silas figured out a way to be with…Bonnie managed to start the ritual before…part of Isadora is already…her soul…Caroline…Silas…will bring her _here_…Caroline…"

Elijah fell limp against Klaus' arms, completely drained of blood, his eyes glassy and lifeless even as blood red tears fell from them. Klaus held his brother tight against his chest as he lifted his face in a silent scream. He shook violently with anger, barely noticing the arms that encircled him, the tears that fell with his and the voice that kept repeating that it was going to be okay, that he wasn't alone, not anymore.

It was a while before Klaus finally stood up and laid his brother on the table, cleaned him up and then sat before the body with disturbing calm.

Caroline eyed him as he moved around until he settled into a chair. She simply sat next to him and waited, unsure what was to come next.

"To live an immortal life beside him on this earth," Klaus said in a low voice, "That's Silas' plan for you."

"Makes me wish for the days when you were our biggest problem," Caroline said with a small smile.

"Caroline!"

The familiar voice shattered the quiet of the house and caused Caroline to jump. It was a voice that called to her in dreams and she could barely believe it was real.

She threw open the door and was about to rush outside when Klaus' arm went around her waist, pulling her back towards him.

"Let me go!" Caroline said as she struggled against Klaus, "I said—"

"Your boyfriend is a traitor but he's not a complete idiot," Klaus said through gritted teeth as Caroline continued to try and break his hold, "He wouldn't just show up here."

"Caroline, I heard what happened and I came as fast as I could. Put her down, Klaus," Tyler said, a low growl sounding from his throat.

"Make me." Klaus said evenly, his eyes narrowed down to slits.

Tyler balled up his fists but stayed in place, "I said let her go."

"Come and get her." Klaus said.

"Tyler?" Caroline said hesitating when she saw Tyler could not get through the door, "Why can't he—?"

"The house is sealed against him," Klaus said as he loosened his grip but still kept his arm around her, "because that is not Tyler Lockwood. Hello, Silas."

Silas threw up his hands and smiled, "I didn't think you'd recognize me. I do hope you like this appearance better. My powers are much more compatible with this body. It's very young, I should say."

"Tyler Lockwood is a hybrid of my creation," Klaus said, "He was never a match for me and if you stay in there, I guarantee you I will find a way to end you."

"I don't take kindly to empty threats, Niklaus." Silas said calmly, "But I'm willing to overlook your arrogance and maybe even welcome you into my army when I ascend into power, if you return what is mine."

Klaus pushed Caroline gently behind him, placing himself between her and Silas, "I'd tell you to go to hell but we both know even that place won't take you."

"Give me the girl."

"I don't see why I should." Klaus said evenly.

"You have something I want and I have someone _she_ would want to protect," Silas said stepping aside to show Bonnie with Caroline's mother, who was unconscious and floating a foot off the ground, clearly under a spell.

"Mom!" Caroline said moving towards the door but Klaus held an arm out and kept her firmly behind him, "Bonnie, what are you doing? Let my mom go!"

"Come willingly, Caroline, and she will not be harmed," Silas said, "I'll be waiting."

The door slammed shut and the force threw Klaus and Caroline back a few steps.

"I have to go, my mother and Tyler…" Caroline said frantically, "I have to—"

"You need to calm down and think." Klaus said, "You cannot go charging out there into certain death. I will not allow it."

"You have no right to tell me what to do!" Caroline said, exploding, "That is my _mother_. She's in trouble. I have to do whatever it is I can to save her. And that…that Silas invaded Tyler's body, not to mention he's got my best friend under some sort of mind control to do his bidding. I have to do something _now!_"

"And then you get killed, Silas wins and brings every evil creature ever created and your mother dies in their hands just the same." Klaus pointed out, as he held her by the arms, "Sit the hell down, Caroline, and think for a minute before damning the entire world."

"I don't care about the big picture, Klaus," Caroline spat out, "I need to get my mother back. This is who I am, okay? I'm selfish and right now I want my mother safe here at home, my boyfriend in control of his body and my best friend to stop acting like some damn puppet on a string. I'm sorry if I'm not like you. I can't switch off my feelings about my family when it serves my grand master plan to get whatever I want."

Klaus turned her around to face Elijah's still body, "There are times when you have to do it because it might just be what will save them. You're not the only one who is broken, Caroline. I know that it guts you that Silas has something over you. But if you want to defeat him then you're going to have to sit down and take this hit. We will figure this out and until we do, you will stay put. We will get her back, I give you my word."

Klaus went around, tucked a stray stand of hair behind her ear and held her eyes with his, waiting until the madness left them before letting her go. But the small distance between them collapsed in the next second when Caroline fell to her knees, helpless tears falling from her eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself.

Klaus sat down on the floor and gathered her in his arms. He held her in silence; his heart twisting as she cried out for the people she wanted beside her, for the loss the feared was inevitable. He held her as she ran out of tears and small hiccups shook her body. He held her until her body calmed and became still.

"You're still here." Caroline whispered as she closed her eyes and leaned against his chest.

Klaus rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes as well, "I don't have anything else to do. I can't think of anywhere I have to be."

"Good." Caroline said, her voice shaking, as she held on tighter, "Because I need to ask…I need you to stay._ Please._"

"I'm not going anywhere," Klaus answered hoarsely, "I'll be right here. I promise."


	5. Chapter 5: Fall

**Altered, Chapter 5: Fall**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

"Get in," Klaus said as he eyed the dark street warily as he opened the car door for Caroline, "If you're serious about doing whatever it takes to get your mother and Tyler Lockwood back then you'll get in, put on your seatbelt and be a good girl."

"Shouldn't we, like, leave a note or something?" Caroline said as she got in.

Klaus rolled his eyes as he locked the doors and started the car, "And what should it say? Dear Team Good Guys, We're off to see the wizard to see if he can get me my mother back and Klaus a heart of his own. Please don't dispose of the body on the dining table since the wizard should also be able to fix him eventually. Also, please make sure Katherine run off with the cure. Be back soon. Love, Caroline. Xoxo."

"Xoxo. Really? Well, that's still better than letting them wonder what the hell happened to me. You will be at the top of their list of suspects, you know," Caroline pointed out.

"How flattering," Klaus said, his eyes never straying from the road ahead, "I didn't know you thought so highly of me, Caroline."

Caroline crossed her arms in front of her and stared stubbornly out the window, letting the silence stretch until Klaus relented with a long sigh.

"Fine," Klaus said, "We will call them when we get to New Orleans."

"And?" Caroline prompted.

"And we will tell them what we are up to," Klaus said

"Which is?" Caroline said

"Which is finding a witch to help us against Silas," Klaus said, "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Maybe," Caroline said, looking at him from the corner of her eye, "I…I don't know what's going on in your head, why you're even helping me."

"I told you I—"

"No, wait, let me finish," Caroline said placing a hand on his arm, "You say that's how you feel and I can see you believe it but I can't trust it yet for an extended period of time. Part of me is worried that you're going to snap and I don't know, massacre the next town we pass, just for kicks. I'm just saying there's just too much to forgive, Klaus. I'm not saying I won't ever but it's not yet today that I can get past that. I'm in this to save my mom and Tyler. Klaus, are you listening? I'm going to get Tyler back because he's still part of the happily ever after I'm dreaming about. I'm going with you to get that witch to get Silas out of Tyler's body."

"I know." Klaus said quietly, "Then just consider me a friend who has your best interests at heart. I just do not want you walking up to Silas without all the protection I can get you. Besides, I have my own reasons for getting a witch to back us up on this. I'd like to believe that all is not lost with Elijah."

"Okay," Caroline said, "As long as we're clear."

"Crystal," Klaus said, "But, just hypothetically, how would one exactly one earn your trust and get you to believe my feelings are rather genuine?"

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him but answered anyway, "_Hypothetically_, one would not touch subjects I pretty much said I don't want to talk about right now."

"Quite the double-standard, since you meddle in other people's lives all the time," Klaus pointed out.

"Wasn't the point to get on my good side? You're going in the opposite direction." Caroline retorted

"Not really since it's only a hypothetical question of trust and not one of getting you to fall in love with me, just believing in the possibility," Klaus said with a smile, "But you can answer that too, if you wish."

"No, I do not wish to answer that!" Caroline said with a huff, pounding on the radio buttons, "Is this broken or do I have to suffer through your incessant questions the entire ride?"

Klaus pulled out the radio and threw it out the window.

"Seriously? You just toss out things that get in the way of what you want?" Caroline said, eyes wide with surprise, "Fine. I'll just sleep."

Klaus smiled as Caroline closed her eyes. He waited a full minute before singing out loud, completely off-key. Caroline squeezed her eyes shut and frowned before screaming in frustration. Her eyes flew open in time to see Klaus laughing at her.

"Alright, alright, we can talk just stop…screeching." Caroline said

Klaus lifted his eyebrows in question and went an entire octave higher for the next lines. Caroline sighed, "Singing. Please stop singing."

"There was a time when that sound brought an entire room to its knees, in complete awe," Klaus said

"To beg you to stop? Was blood coming out of their ears?" Caroline asked.

"Mock me all you want, it's not my fault that growing up in a small town has limited your ability to appreciate true artistic abilities," Klaus replied

"You sounded like you were being slaughtered with a tiny pair of scissors." Caroline said deadpan.

"And _you_ can do better?" Klaus challenged.

Caroline leveled him with a look and started to sing. She was halfway through the song when she noticed Klaus smiling. She punched him on the shoulder, causing him to swerve a little.

"Hey!" Klaus exclaimed, "I'm driving! What is your problem now? You should keep singing. I'm not yet convinced that you're much better sounding than me. You had some pitch problems back in the chorus."

"Argh!" Caroline said, "You threw out your radio so deal with it. I'm not your personal jukebox! You _so_ planned this!"

Klaus smiled, "Guilty. Someone told me you sounded like an angel but I'm not one to believe without any firsthand evidence. And judging from what I heard, you're more a siren than an angel, which is to say not bad but not really worth all the hype."

Caroline just shook her head and continued to sing, smiling to herself as she watched the stars outside her window. It took her a while to realize that a deep, soothing baritone joined hers. Caroline looked at Klaus in surprise, her eyes bright with a smile she wouldn't let her lips touch just yet.

"You _can_ sing," Caroline said accusingly.

"I didn't say I couldn't," Klaus said innocently, "You _assumed_ that I couldn't based on one deliberately bad performance."

"That's your thing," Caroline said, "Misdirection. You let people believe the worst of you. You show them your fangs and monster face to scare them to get your way. Why can't you just let them see there's something good in you? Would that be so bad?"

"It's hard to show people something you never even knew still existed in you," Klaus said, "And yes, it would have been bad to do just that because before today, laying all your cards didn't result in getting people to trust you but letting them kill you. So for a thousand years, I lived my life as badly as I sang because it kept me alive."

"You can stop now," Caroline said quietly.

Klaus just smiled, "Alright, I won't sing badly anymore. Go to sleep. You should really rest. We've got a fair bit to go."

Caroline stared at him, opening her mouth as if to say something then closing it again when he started humming softly. She touched him lightly on the arm before curling up in the passenger seat to sleep.

* * *

Caroline opened her eyes a few seconds after the car pulled to a stop in front of a small white house. It was old but well maintained, though seemingly empty from her vantage point.

"Have you called home yet?" Caroline asked as she got out of the car and closed the door behind her.

"Yes," Klaus answered with a small frown on his face, "In the end they seemed to have gotten the value of our little side trip but first they had to try and blast my eardrums with all their arguments. Damon kindly put me on speakerphone and let everyone talk at once. I was surprised the noise didn't wake you."

"I probably thought it was your singing and just slept right through it," Caroline said as she walked on ahead.

"Witty," Klaus said as he followed her to the door, "Thank you for reminding me why I insist on becoming your friend, love."

Caroline just shook her head and knocked on the door, "Hello? Anybody home?"

"To speak your language…Seriously?" Klaus said incredulously, "You're asking if someone is home when you can very clearly hear a heart beating strongly from where you stand?"

Caroline huffed and threw up her hands when the door opened to reveal Jamie, Abby Bennett's adoptive son.

"What are you doing here?" Jamie asked, "You're not welcome here."

"That's perfectly fine since we don't intend on staying. In fact, neither will you so better start packing the essentials right about now." Klaus said to Jamie.

"Wait, he's not a witch," Caroline said to Klaus, "He was raised by one but he's not a witch. Why on earth are we here Klaus?"

"Did we not just have a lesson on appearances and why you should not judge based on an initial impression?" Klaus said with a tilt of his head, "Besides, even if he's not a true Bennett witch, at least he was trained by one and given the circumstances, he's got enough emotional motivation to tap into whatever power he's got and win this for Team Good Guys."

"Whatever you have going on here, I'm staying out of it. Clearly, you need another witch because you haven't convinced Bonnie to go along with your plans so I'm going to follow her lead. Get off my property," Jamie said firmly, moving to close the door.

"Wait, Jamie, that's why we're here," Caroline said, her eyes pleading with him, "We need to get Bonnie back and we can't do it without a witch or man-witch or whatever you're called on our side."

"What happened?" Jamie asked, clearly alarmed.

"Well, for starters, what do you know about Silas?" Klaus asked.

"But he's…he's not supposed to be…" Jamie sputtered.

"Oh but he is and he's causing all sorts of trouble back in Mystic Falls. Next question?" Klaus said

"He kidnapped Bonnie?" Jamie asked

"No, Jamie," Caroline said softly, "Bonnie is working _with_ him. She's gone dark and we don't know how to pull her out of it and without your help…we're no match for them. We need to defeat Silas without hurting Bonnie in the process."

"They have too many aces, mate," Klaus said in a low voice, "I can threaten you from now until kingdom come so you'll own up to being a witch and help us out but I'd rather not waste time. I'll lay it down simply for you—you come with us to Mystic Falls to take down Silas or you stay here until he comes for you and whatever will be left of this earth. What's it going to be?"

* * *

"They should be back by now." Rebekah said looking out the window for what felt like the thousandth time that day, "I'm pretty sure Elijah needs to be revived sooner rather than later."

"Will you relax," Katherine said as she flipped through an old magazine, her feet propped up on the coffee table, "Everything is going according to plan."

"Have I told you that it's a terrible plan?" Rebekah said scathingly, her eyes narrowed to slits as she looked at Katherine.

"Every plan that doesn't end up with you drinking the cure is horrible to you," Katherine pointed out without looking up, "You're even more selfish than Klaus and that's really saying something."

"Oh but I can't hold a candle to you," Rebekah said knocking off Katherine's legs from the table to sit directly in front of her, "I've been running over the scenarios of this plan and you're the only one with so little to risk here. The witch just might go completely dark, Silas may well take over the body of the hybrid permanently with Caroline as the host for his runaway bride, the Salvatore brothers might die trying to save the world they think Elena still wants to save, Elijah might never wake up and Klaus, well he might just sacrifice himself for nothing."

"Hmm," Katherine said tilting her head, "And what about you? Seems you're also missing from that list."

"Right, that leaves me to make sure you don't ride off into the sunset after all is said and done, " Rebekah said

"What do you mean by Klaus sacrificing himself?"

"Stefan," Rebekah said, straightening up in surprise, "I didn't know you've taken to eavesdropping as of late."

"Answer the question." Stefan said, "That wasn't part of what we discussed."

"Oh, relax, Stefan. Just be glad we've moved on from sacrificing the doppelganger and on to bigger and better things." Katherine said shifting her attention once again to the magazine, "Besides, don't tell me that phrase wasn't music to your ears."

Stefan yanked the magazine from Katherine's hands and flung it towards the wall behind her, "What is going on? I'm concerned about the fact that the two of you seem to be going off book on this and I need to know just how crazy things will get."

Katherine sighed dramatically and gave Stefan a bored look, "Among all the supernatural beings in Mystic Falls, who is the most powerful?"

"Klaus…" Stefan answered trailing off.

"Correct," Katherine said with a nod, "Now, if I were an immortal without a permanent form just yet since my own is pretty much withered out and disgusting, what body would suit me best? Yep, don't bother speaking— it's the same answer. Well, at least after Klaus shreds Tyler's body, Silas will want to take Klaus' body. It's more than likely that Silas will command Bonnie to do just that. That's where our new witch will come in—make sure Klaus keeps his mind for a bit longer, enough to be sane enough to take the cure and be mortal, which translates to someone that can be killed or as I like to call it, killing two birds with one stone."

"And what of Tyler?" Stefan asked with an edge to his voice, "You're telling me he was never to survive this?"

"Collateral damage," Rebekah answered with a wave of her hand, "It's him or let the other side pour out into this one. Do I need to remind you how many enemies we've sent off to that place?"

"Really? Even your brother will just be collateral damage? You can live with that, Rebekah?" Stefan said with disbelief.

"Well, it's not a sacrifice if he's going to come out of it unscathed or just plain dead." Katherine said with a twisted smile.

"Oh, hush," Rebekah said to Katherine before turning to Stefan, "He can survive it…there's a small chance but it's there."

"Tell me—" Stefan started to say but was cut off by the front door opening.

"There's no need for a welcoming party but I'm really touched you're all here," Klaus said with a wide smile, "Anyway, we come bearing gifts. Well, just one really."

He stepped aside to reveal Jamie who stood uncomfortably beside Caroline, who nudged him in.

"They don't bite. Well, they do but they won't…_right_ guys?" Caroline said threateningly.

"He's not a witch," Elena said as she came down the stairs.

"I'm with Katherine 2.0 on this one," Damon said as he walked into the room from the kitchen, glass of blood in his hand, "Man-witch, he is not. Just because he's within six degrees of separation from one, doesn't mean he _is_ one."

Within a second, Damon was on the floor writhing in pain. "Okay, okay, I take it back."

Jamie dropped the spell and faced the rest of the room, "Who else wants to give it a shot?"

* * *

Klaus watched them in silence, taking in each argument, each statement and balancing it in his mind. Each word weighed on him as every single one pointed to the same conclusion. Rebekah's shifty behavior the second he entered, the way she couldn't look directly at him and how she skirted answering directly some of the topics while instinctively glancing at Katerina gave her away. There was an underlying plan, of which he played a more central role, and his sister was in on it, along with Katerina. Judging by the excessive uncaring behavior of Elena towards the discussion, he could almost be sure that she was part of it as well since she deemed everything else as pointless.

He stood up gracefully and pulled Rebekah aside, leading her outside. He spoke in a low voice, one only his sister could hear.

"Out with it, Rebekah," Klaus said, "I'm done with the show. It's time for the truth."

Rebekah sighed and handed him the cure, "You'll be needing this."

Klaus raised his eyebrows, "Katerina handed this to you? And you didn't take it? Things must be more dire than I thought."

"Enough, Niklaus," Rebekah said in a tired voice, "This could very well be our last conversation alone and I'd really rather not waste it away."

"You're giving up your chance at a normal life? What changed your mind?" Klaus asked casually, refusing to acknowledge just yet the gravity of the situation.

"Normal is overrated," Rebekah said with a wan smile, "Besides, being human in a world where mother and father are back in my life isn't really something that appeals to me."

"I can't argue with that, dear sister," Klaus said as he looked out into the sky

"Always and forever, Nik." Rebekah said, placing a hand on her brother's arm, "I can give up a normal life but I can't give up on a chance to save you and Elijah, no matter how thin a thread that is."

"Just how slim is this chance you're talking about?" Klaus said placing his hand on hers, squeezing it before lifting it away from him.

"You need to drink that and kill yourself with Silas in you, with the sword that held the cipher. Jamie needs to keep your mind free from Silas long enough to do that. Sort of separate your two halves as a werewolf and a vampire. The cure might not make you exactly as mortal as it would any one of us." Rebekah said looking away from her brother.

"And how exactly am I supposed to survive that? I assume that's where things get tricky." Klaus asked casually.

"If what Elijah found out was correct, then you'll be killing the werewolf side of you along with Silas." Rebekah took a deep breath before facing her brother, "This is the part where we need the Bennett witch again on our side. She needs to make sure that the seam that Jamie will split stays intact and your vampire half can heal your body."

Klaus raised his eyebrows and laughed bitterly, "So many maybes and complications, Rebekah. Are there any hoops I should jump through or additional chants I need to learn for this wretched ritual? At what point exactly do we get Elijah back? I'm guessing his current state is not permanent since you're not as devastated as I was."

"No, that was for your benefit and a side-effect of the information he obtained for us. It worked out well enough, it pushed you to get the witch we needed for this. You wouldn't have dared step into New Orleans if it wasn't for the image of Elijah practically desiccated." Rebekah paused before continuing, her tone softer as she spoke, "You're right, there is one last thing, the perfect cliché to wrap it all up in a neat little fairy tale bow. You need an anchor, Nik, someone to tether you to this world, someone who has a firm hold on this world and still have a foot in the other side with you."

"Let me guess," Klaus said with a mirthless smile, "Caroline. You'll actually let the ritual start before I come in and ruin Silas' reunion with his ladylove. She's going to be halfway to tearing down the veil to the other side and in perfect position to do just what you said. But there lies our biggest obstacle. She will not do it, Rebekah."

"She _will _do it Nik," Rebekah countered firmly.

"On what basis? You're telling me it's not a fantasy to hope that after watching me tear down Tyler, something I'm fairly certain he won't come back from, to force Silas to invade my own body, she will save me?"

"They still don't know you didn't sire her bloodline," Rebekah said, "They will all die if she doesn't do that."

Klaus' hands tightened into a fist, "No. Katerina has figured it out that's why she gave you the cure. She knows how this will end and I bet she's told them or one of them already. She wouldn't risk her freedom from me, her life, for anything. That was her best bargaining chip and she wouldn't let it go unless she had a better hand already."

"She might still do it, Nik." Rebekah said, almost begging, wanting to believe in her own words and losing faith in them with each passing second.

"No, she will not." Klaus said, "When I kill Tyler, I'll become a monster that she will revile and will want nothing to do with, regardless of my intentions. It won't matter that I save a thousand others if it means I take away the one man she truly loves."

"I have an unfortunate track record in men, you can attest to that," Rebekah said slowly, "But I can at least say I know what a woman in love looks like and how far she will go for someone she loves."

"Yes, I agree, dear sister, it's just too bad she's not in love with me." Klaus said quietly, "I need to think, Rebekah. I need to be alone."

Rebekah nodded and placed her arms around her brother. Klaus was surprised but returned the embrace.

"I know you're not coming back inside, Nik, so let me tell you now…No matter what blood has been shed between us all these years, you are still my brother and I trust that you will do right by your family. I love you, brother, always and forever." With that she released him and stepped back in the house.

Klaus stared out into the distance, silencing his thoughts until there was nothing in his mind but the path he had chosen. It was against his very nature to accept his own death so easily but letting her suffer was out of the question. Very briefly, he wondered if she would mourn him, even only in secret. He pretended she would and that somehow in that time she would have realized finally that his feelings were real and that if he had another lifetime, he could have found the will to be a better person.

"Klaus?" Caroline called out, puzzled when she found him just standing there, "What are you doing out here? No one can agree on anything and Jamie keeps dropping people with his mind mojo. A little help?"

"I'll be there in a second, love," Klaus said with a forced smile.

Caroline frowned and walked to stand in front of him, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just needed a time out from all the nonsense inside," Klaus said nonchalantly.

Caroline narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, "I'm going to let that lie slide for now because I've had it up to my bangs with the whining and bitching inside but mister, I can that something is wrong and it's written all over your face. Your 'second' is up so haul your ass back inside and get your scheming, manipulative mind in gear to sort out what exactly the game plan should be."

"Yes, ma'am," Klaus said as a loud crash echoed from the living room, "But maybe after five more minutes. I just need to…clear my head some more."

Caroline stared at him for a while before turning around to go back inside. "Fine, you have five. I'm counting."

With his jaw set, he pulled out a pen and a flyer he had long forgotten he had folded up and put in his pocket. There was too much to say and not enough time. It took him three minutes to finish and another one to wrench himself away. At the last possible second, he left.

Caroline opened the backdoor and found Klaus gone, in his place was a piece of paper held down by a rock.

_Caroline,_

_I am not an honorable man. I never sought out to be one because it did not hold the power I've hungered for. It was a hollow life but it bought me companionship through the fear it inspired and false admiration of many. But it was never enough. So I killed and I killed until I forgot why I even did it, why I even needed the power and I was left only with the fear of death. It was unknown and I held no sway over what will come after it so I sought to prevent it. Centuries of painstaking planning went into making myself into a creature that will be practically indestructible, a hybrid that will start a new race that will rule this world. _

_I distanced myself from death, Caroline, and yet now I walk towards it without hesitation. I have not my own words to express my reasons but let me borrow a passage from a book I read over and over through the centuries. _

'If you will hear me through a very little more, all you can ever do for me is done. I wish you to know that you have been the last dream of my soul…a dream, all a dream, that ends in nothing, and leaves the sleeper where he lay down, but I wish you to know that you inspired it.'

_I offered you the world before, to see it and experience it. I can only give you that if I do this for you. It is all I want for you—to live and embrace what lies outside of Mystic Falls. You shine too bright for this small town and I am sorry that I won't be there when the rest of the world will see that._

'…think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you.'

_I'd like to be that man for you. If I cannot be one you can trust with your heart, then at least allow me to be the one who will protect your life._

_Nunc scio, quid sit Amor._

_Klaus._

* * *

_A/N: Hope you liked that chapter :) __ The quotes in the letter are from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. _


	6. Chapter 55: BeforeAfter

**Altered, Chapter 5.5: Before/After**

_**A/N: Just a short one before the big confrontation with Silas.**__** Hope you enjoy! :)  
**_

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

Klaus knelt on the floor and lifted the plank of wood directly in front of the fireplace. He reached inside and took out the sword he hid inside. He unsheathed the sword hen balanced it in his hand, surprised that it felt light considering how heavy it appeared. He sighed as he sheathed it once more. It was a long time since he's needed a weapon. It felt unnatural that a predator like him would need an object to make the kill.

He looked around the room, drinking in all the details he had put into his home, the least grand of all and yet the least hollow. He stood up and walked across the room and into the ballroom. He imagined it was the night he danced with Caroline, the first in a long while that he smiled without any agenda and simply because it was how he felt. He walked on and found himself in the middle of all his unfinished paintings, some of them slashed angrily in the middle with black paint in a fit of despair over the murder of his hybrids. He paused in front of one canvas, half-hidden behind a piece of cloth, the one piece he truly wanted to complete.

"Klaus!"

He turned around in surprise, the voice jarring his senses that moments before were fully absorbed in the hidden painting.

Caroline stood in front of him, one hand on her hip and the other gripping a familiar piece of paper.

"What makes you think you can decide this all on your own?" Caroline demanded as she stalked towards him, waving the piece of paper in front of his face, "I could have and probably should have walked away from you each time you put my life or someone I care about at risk. But still I couldn't shake you. And do you know why? Let me tell you—because for better or worse, you are part of my life. So I don't care what dead language you use to make it sound okay and all romantic, you don't get to leave me. We will figure this out together. Do you understand?"

Klaus stood silent and unmoving, waiting for Caroline to calm down before responding. Without a word, he took the hand holding the letter and kissed it before letting go.

"Caroline," Klaus started, "I will have to kill Tyler to end Silas. You can ask the rest of them if you need to but that is how it must be. There is nothing to figure out."

"There has to be another way," Caroline insisted, her eyes filling up with tears, "He doesn't deserve this. I can't…"

Klaus clenched his jaw, his hands forming fists at his sides but when the first tear fell, he folded her into his arms and held her tight.

"I'm sorry, love." Klaus said quietly, his voice low, "Right now, his life isn't worth saving, not at the price Silas commands. And you will never see it that way or if by some miracle you grasp that truth, the guilt will eat away whatever life you'll have after until you're nothing but a shell of who you used to be. I will not let that happen. I want you to walk away from this, maybe not completely unharmed, but at least the scars you will bear shall heal in time."

Klaus pulled away slowly but held her arms gently as he continued, "Nunc scio, quid sit Amor. Now I know what love means, Caroline. And that is enough."

Caroline stared ahead blindly, the tears blurring everything that she was left acutely aware only of Klaus' presence, how his lips touched her forehead ever so lightly and how his departure made her ache, lending finality to what lay ahead. She cried until there were no tears left. She let herself drown in anxiety of what she stood to lose until there was nothing to do but pick herself up.

When it was over she turned to leave but then she noticed the painting in front of her, the one behind a tattered piece of cloth. She walked towards it and tugged the cover free. It was a painting of _her_.

Caroline traced the outline of her face, painted as if behind a veil or curtain. Her hair was loose and free and she could almost feel the breeze that made it look so. Her eyes, she never realized looked that vibrant, a shade of blue that almost glittered off the canvas. But it was her smile in the painting that held her in awe. It was pure joy, like there was nothing in the world that weighed her down.

Caroline tried to smile but instead a choked sob came out. It was only then she saw herself through Klaus' eyes and what he was fighting for. He wanted to take all the darkness from her world so that someday that painting will be real, that she will smile and be free like that someday. But she knew it was an impossible dream to ever be that happy if that life was bought with his blood.

"I wish we had more time," Caroline whispered to no one, "Because I think I would have fallen for you."


	7. Chapter 6: Dawn

**Altered, Chapter 6: Dawn**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

"Come out, come out, wherever you are, you faceless demon," Klaus called out in a singsong voice, his eyes dark with murder as he searched the woods.

He stopped where moonlight peeked through the trees, taking a second to flip around and whip a stake through the air.

Silas caught it without even blinking, crushing the piece of wood in his hand until the dust fell through his fingers.

"Where is the girl?" Silas asked simply, his held tilted, seemingly unconcerned as Klaus stalked towards him. "Or have you forgotten I have something of hers?"

Klaus stopped in his tracks as Silas gestured behind him as a tower of flame erupted, illuminating Bonnie beside it and a few ways behind her was Caroline's mother, strapped unconscious to a tree.

"I'd kill them myself if it means you have nothing over Caroline's head," Klaus said menacingly but stood in place, "I'm afraid I've had enough of this cure business and of_ you_. This ends now."

Silas laughed, his true voice somehow echoing through the night, not at all sounding like Tyler, whose body he still wore. He was a monster through and through that no physical form could hide it.

"You are but a _child_, Niklaus," Silas hissed, "A child so hopeful in his own weaknesses that he imagines he can break the mold from which his own evil was born. You are a pathetic fool who fancies himself a martyr for love. Boy, you don't know what it is. If you did you would grant her this and let her be my immortal queen."

In the blink of an eye, Klaus moved with the precision of a trained killer, throwing another stake, this time hitting his mark squarely. Bonnie fell with a pained scream as the wood pierced her leg through, the flames dying as she went down.

Silas growled but the sound was cut off as Klaus plunged his hand into his chest, "I told you, Silas, I created Tyler Lockwood and I can just as easily rip him to shreds."

Blood trailed down his lips but Silas still managed to laugh, "Can you really, Niklaus? Even as _she_ watches? Do you have it in you to break the heart of the one woman who believed that there's still something good left in you?"

A muffled gasp made Klaus turn to his side. Caroline stood, hand over her mouth, eyes wide, tears threatening to fall as she shook her head slowly.

"Caroline…" Klaus whispered. Silas took advantage of the distraction and extricated himself, vanishing from sight.

Klaus faced her without a word, his jaw set as his bloody fist fell to his side, wishing he could close the distance between them to comfort her. But he couldn't move, he didn't want her to see how much blood was on his hands. He opened his mouth but quickly closed it again.

Caroline took a deep breath, a second and then a third before taking a step towards Klaus, her face full of determination. But she couldn't get farther than that.

"Tsk, tsk, that's enough, Caroline," Silas said coming again into view, perfectly unharmed as if the past few minutes never happened save for the gaping hole in his shirt.

Bonnie stood shakily with her arms outstretched in front of her, the fire slowly snaking through the ground until it separated the four of them.

"I've missed you, Caroline," Silas said with quiet desperation, his eyes full of emotion as he turned to her.

Caroline looked at him, her heart aching with the familiar sound of his voice and the words she had wanted to hear for so long. But she willed herself to stay in place, every muscle in her body burning with desire to run to Tyler's arms.

"You don't believe me," Silas said, his voice pained, making Caroline wonder if she should go to him, if somehow it was really Tyler speaking.

"Don't listen, Caroline, _please._" Klaus said through gritted teeth as he fought invisible restraints, unable to move even an inch and he was forced to watch Caroline take tentative steps towards Silas.

"Tyler?" Caroline asked hesitantly, shaking as she walked.

Silas held out his hand to her, "It's me. I'm really here."

"Caroline! Snap out of it," Klaus said forcefully, fighting his invisible bonds. For a split second, Caroline turned towards him and shook her head once, almost imperceptibly then tore her gaze from his just as quickly.

"Don't," Klaus said in a low voice, almost pleading with her, "This is _my _fight."

"It's _my_ life, Klaus, let me live it." Caroline said without looking at him. Instead she was wholly focused on getting to the man she loved.

"I knew you'd come around," Silas said, his lips forming a wide smile as Caroline got close enough to touch.

"Let them go," Caroline said firmly, "I'll go with you and stay with you but you let them go now."

"When this is all said and done, they'll be free to roam this earth, I promise you," Silas said.

"Now." Caroline repeated her voice shaking as she put force behind that single word.

"What's the matter?" Silas said pulling her into his arms, "Don't you trust me?"

A single tear fell from her eye as she tightened her arms around him. She let her face rest on his shoulder as her eyes searched for Klaus. When her eyes met Klaus', she saw her anguish mirrored in his.

She nodded once and closed her eyes as she whispered to the man in her embrace, "I'm sorry, Ty. I'm sorry I never even got to say goodbye. I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

Silas started to pull away, his mouth halfway open to question her words but Caroline's hands were quick and sure as she pulled out a stake and plunged it into his heart.

The world stilled at Silas' howl of pain. Bonnie faltering as the sound ripped through her. It was all Klaus needed. He sprang into action and moved towards Caroline but Silas stood up.

"Don't you love me anymore?" Silas said in a broken voice. "I'm still in here, Caroline. Why are you trying to hurt me?"

"No," Caroline said through tears, "Tyler is dead. _You_ killed him. If he were still alive there somehow, he would have fought this. He wouldn't have let you take my mother and my friend. But you know what gave your lies away? He would have told me to run as far away from him if it meant saving me. "

Silas' tone changed as he stood up and pulled out the stake, his rage barely controlled as he spoke, "Bravo. At least I no longer have to pretend to be that pathetic creature. He was so easy to push aside and eliminate. I wish you could have watched him perish but I'll have to settle for letting you see your mother die."

"No!" Caroline screamed in horror as Silas threw the stake straight for the unconscious woman.

Klaus had no time to think. His mind shut down and he wasn't even aware of changing his direction or making the decision to save Sheriff Forbes. The next thing he was aware of was the blinding pain as the stake shot through him, just a hair above his heart.

Klaus fell to his knees, laughing hysterically as he lifted his head to face the dark sky.

"Is that all you've got? Is that all?"

"Klaus—" Caroline got out before Silas gripped her tightly by the shoulders, holding her in place.

"Enough." Silas said cutting her off, "Bonnie, begin."

Bonnie nodded and raised her hands to the heavens, her voice gaining strength as she went on. The world around them shifted, a moving picture out of focus. Caroline watched numbly as her friend slowly unmade the world.

Another voice joined the fray, clear and strong. Jamie stood directly in front of Bonnie, his eyes blazing with power.

Silas' head whipped angrily at the newcomer. Caroline was quick to see the opening and hit Silas as hard as she could, knocking him back then struck his leg hard enough that the bone cracked with the force.

"Get up, Nik," Rebekah said, pulling up her brother. Klaus stared at her in wonder, the fog slowly lifting from his mind. It was then he noticed the other vampires who have come to join them—Stefan, Damon, Elena and even Katherine. "We don't have much time, look."

Klaus turned just in time to see Caroline stop midstride, light filling her, lifting her from the ground. Silas watched in awe, a mixture of triumph and desire on his face as he pulled himself towards her, dragging his injured leg behind him as he moved.

"Move!" Rebekah said, propelling his brother into action.

In the next second, Klaus was standing above Silas, his eyes dark with anger. Without warning he stepped on the broken leg, crushing it entirely before plunging his hand in Silas' chest a second time. He pulled out the heart and threw it in the fire in front of Bonnie.

"Silas!" Bonnie screamed, her hand shooting out, pointing accusingly at Klaus. It was as if her fingers gripped his throat and pushed him to the ground. Instinctively, Klaus' hands went to his throat, grasping nothing and unable to make it stop. From somewhere, he heard his sister scream out for him but someone stopped her. Katerina? Yes, she told Rebekah to let it play out.

He continued to choke and the edges of his vision started to darken, shrink and it when it was so close to being completely gone he began to see a myriad of images. There were thousands of pictures that moved too fast for him to recognize anything, shoving everything in his head, pushing everything out. His hands moved to his head, as if clawing at it would make it all stop. There was a pain he couldn't describe, that felt like it would never leave. Klaus wanted to give up. Yes, that's what it wanted. Klaus recognized it and it urged him to do so.

"Oh no, you don't," a voice said from somewhere above him, "I didn't get this far to just have all my enemies come back into my life. Where the hell is that damn cure?"

The owner of the voice had her hands on him, feeling around for something and placed whatever it was in his hand and ordered him to…drink? That didn't sound right. Klaus blinked and for a split second he saw another woman, floating above them, like an angel. But the angel was in pain, she was in tears and her tears were made of blood.

_Caroline_.

Her name snapped her mind into focus long enough to recognize Katherine and the cure that she pressed into his hand. She couldn't wait and watch him actually take it as she joined the fray.

Klaus poured the liquid into his mouth and swallowed. Warmth coursed through him, burning him from the inside out. The noise in his head dulled and slowed but something else was building. He was running out of time. Silas wouldn't be kept down for long.

"Kill…kill me," Klaus struggled to say, "Make this end."

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Elena manage to knock Bonnie unconscious. The witch fell to the ground and a second after Caroline followed, falling ungracefully on the earth. Klaus watched Caroline crawl across the ground towards him, her breath shallow and pained.

Silas was growing stronger, knocking down walls in his mind but Klaus fought hard as he watched Caroline get closer to him until she finally placed her hand in his.

"Do it now, Caroline," Klaus rasped out, "White oak stake…hidden…boot…we don't...have…much time."

Caroline pulled out the weapon he hid in his boot, but she struggled with it, unable to grip it properly, her hand shaking violently.

"Please, love." Klaus said urgently even as his voice weakened, "You have to…or I'll end up killing you…can't let that happen…don't want to hurt you…ever."

"I can't…" Caroline said sobbing, her hand shaking still.

Klaus tried to smile, lifting his hand to her face, "Come on, love, how hard can it be to kill a monster?"

"Give me that, " Katherine said pulling the weapon from Caroline's hand and without warning she staked Klaus in the heart.

Klaus closed his eyes and listened to Caroline scream. It drowned out everything, even the explosion in his head as Silas succumbed to the fire of the white oak along with him. The last thing he felt was Caroline's hand in his then everything went dark.

* * *

Caroline stared in shock the hand she held went limp. Without thinking she pulled out the stake from his chest and placed her hand over the wound, wanting to believe it would reverse things, undo his death.

"No, no, no," Caroline said over and over, "Wake up. Wake up, damn it."

"Caroline," Elena said gently, placing her hand on Caroline's shoulder, "Let him go. It's over."

"No, it's not!" Caroline said frantically, "Where's Bonnie? She can help. I have to…"

Caroline looked around desperately but only saw Rebekah who knelt beside her brother's body sobbing quietly. Caroline watched Rebekah shake her head as she placed her face in her hands.

"You have to let him go," Elena said trying to pull Caroline away but failed as her hand was flung away.

"This isn't over. You got rid of Silas. Bonnie is free. You're all free. You've even gotten your emotions back. But this isn't done. It cannot be done." Caroline spat out as she clutched Klaus' hand to her chest, "Either help me or get away from me."

"Oh for the love of…" Katherine said pushing Elena to the side, "I can't believe I'm doing this. Make sure you tell that bastard I _helped_ and this doesn't come cheap. I want my freedom."

Katherine leaned in and knocked Caroline unconscious. "There she should be halfway there by now. The part of the spell that she needed to walk on over to the other side was completed so she should be able to get to Klaus. Getting out is another problem I'm lucky I don't have."

"Now what?" Damon asked as he and Stefan walked up to stand next to Elena.

Katherine straightened up and stared at the unconscious pair on the ground, "So now we wait. Anybody brought a blood bag or something…or can we snack on the witches?"

* * *

Caroline fell hard on the ground, pain jolted through her when she tried to stand. "When I get my hands on her…" she thought as she brushed herself off.

She straightened up and looked around, completely surprised by the silence. She was in the middle of a street and that seemed normal under daylight. Caroline was drawn to the house in front of her and started walking towards it.

Caroline went up the porch steps, a strange feeling coming over her. She shook it off and lifted her hand to knock but the door flew open before she could do anything.

"Hey, I didn't realize you left. Were you about to knock? Did you forget your keys again, love?"

Caroline's mouth fell open in shock.

Klaus frowned and placed a hand on her forehead, "You feeling alright, Caroline?"

"I—you…you're…what?" Caroline said waving her hands in front of her until Klaus pulled them in his.

"Let's get you inside…" he said worriedly as he ushered her in.

Caroline nodded, completely dumbstruck as she followed him without a word. She was verging on calm when a she noticed a series of pictures that lined the hallway.

She stopped in her tracks and pulled her hand from his and lifted it to one of the photos. It was a picture of her, smiling—no laughing, without a care in the world as Klaus held her, his own happiness radiating from the frame.

She looked around and then at Klaus, "There's so many of them."

"I know, sweetheart," Klaus said confused, "You made me put them up and rearrange them about a dozen times over until they met your impossible standards."

Caroline's head whipped to the side when another picture caught her eye.

"That's a wedding picture," Caroline said accusingly, her eyes narrowed to slits as she inspected it up close. The dress was breathtaking and the makeup was flawless… as was the groom—_her_ groom it appeared.

"Again, stating the obvious," Klaus said clearly worried, "What has gotten into you?"

Caroline felt her world spin and she headed straight into the living room and sat down, holding her head in her hands.

"This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real," Caroline repeated to herself.

Klaus knelt down in front of her, lifting her chin with a finger, forcing her to face him, "You're scaring me, Caroline. What is going on?"

Caroline placed her hands on his face, surprised that she could feel every curve, every twitch of his muscle, "I don't know what kind of twilight zone Katherine sent me to but you feel real. It's really you, isn't it?"

"Katherine?" Klaus asked, genuinely confused, again placing a hand on her forehead.

She swatted his hand away, "Will you stop that! I'm not running a fever. I _can't_. Literally. I'm a vampire, hello, undead?"

Klaus laughed at that, stopping only when she raised an eyebrow at him, "I'm sorry but out of everything, that was really the last thing I was expecting to hear."

"Sweetheart," Klaus said as he took her hands and placed one on her chest and the other on his, "Can you feel that? It's pretty impossible to be impossible and have a heartbeat, right?"

Caroline pulled her hands away as if she touched fire and stood up to pace. She walked back and forth in front of him, muttering over and over. She took a deep breath but pulled up short, realizing that she actually needed to take that breath. It wasn't out of habit. No, she physically needed to do that.

"Daddy?" a small voice called out from the hall, sounding worried.

Caroline turned slowly, afraid of what she would find and that her guess was right.

"Is Mommy okay?"

Klaus walked towards the little girl but not before giving Caroline a hard look, silently telling her to keep it together. Caroline drank in the tiny figure, blond hair, blue eyes, probably three or four years old. The child lifted her arms in a silent request to be picked up. Her father obliged and gathered her in his arms.

"Why don't you ask her, princess?" Klaus said out loud in response to a question whispered in his ear by the child he carried towards Caroline.

The little girl reached out to Caroline with her arms, who looked to Klaus for direction. Klaus merely nodded encouragingly and Caroline took the little one from him.

Small arms wrapped around her neck, a soft voice asking her directly this time, "Are you okay?"

Caroline choked up, unfamiliar emotions catching in her throat as she looked for the right words, "Yes, baby, mommy is okay."

She tightened her hold as Klaus tilted his head, gesturing for her to follow him up the stairs. Caroline carried her daughter up the steps and followed Klaus into a bedroom. Gently, she placed the child on the bed, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ears.

"Why don't you take a nap?" Caroline said sitting on the edge of the bed, holding her daughter's hand.

"Will you be here when I wake up?"

Caroline's heart broke, wishing that what she was about to say was true, "Of course, sweetie. Mommy will be here."

With a tired smile, the little girl went to sleep. Caroline let go of her hand and fled the room, fighting back tears.

She ran down the stairs with Klaus on her heels, whispering fiercely for her to stop. But she couldn't. She kept walking, angry that somehow she knew where to go, that some part of her believed that this was really her home.

Caroline walked into the kitchen and straight to the counter, pulling open drawers.

"Will you please turn around?" Klaus said, his voice edged with frustration that was slowly giving in to anger, sounding much more like the Original she knew, "Caroline!"

Caroline turned and threw a knife at his head. Klaus' hand shot up and caught the knife neatly by the handle.

"What the hell!?" Klaus yelled, "You could have killed me."

"You caught the knife, Klaus," Caroline said matching his tone, "I'm not batshit crazy! Listen to me—none of this is real! I don't know what mind mojo Silas left you with as a parting gift but let me tell you this is all some crazy delusion."

Caroline closed the gap between them and placed a hand over his heart, "No matter how much you wish it were true, it's just not real."

"That knife doesn't prove anything," Klaus insisted, "I got lucky."

"Do you really need me to throw it again, maybe a hundred times? It's going to be the same," Caroline said, "Snap out of it, Klaus. Come back to me."

Klaus stepped away from Caroline, letting her hand fall, "I…Please stop saying that. All my life, all I ever wanted was a family. I have that now. And you're telling me that this is one giant lie?"

"Caroline!"

They both turned to the sound of the voice and found Bonnie standing in the middle of the room.

"There's more proof—or do witches just randomly appear from nowhere in this world?" Caroline said to Klaus.

"Caroline, it's time to go," Bonnie said pulling Caroline along, practically dragging her, "I can't keep the veil up too long. We need to get back now."

"Wait," Caroline said stopping to turn towards Klaus, "Hey, you heard Bonnie. It's time."

Klaus walked up to her and smiled as he pulled her into his arms, "You are the love of my life and as much as I trust you, as much as I want to believe you and follow you to the ends of the earth, I'm not leaving this place. I can't leave our daughter, real or not."

"Leave him," Bonnie said harshly, "This is our chance to finally get rid of him. Katherine confirmed it—he's not the sire of your bloodline. He can rot here. Let's _go_."

"No." Caroline said firmly, "I'm not leaving without him. I've lost too much and I'm not letting go of anything that I still have a chance of saving."

Turning to Klaus, she places her hands on either side of his face, "This isn't the last dream of your soul, a dream that ends in nothing. I won't let that happen. I've lost too much and I can't lose you too. Not when I haven't even figured out what you are in my life. You asked me before where I want to go, the places I want to see and you're going to take me, show me the world. You're going to do everything in your power to get me to fall in love with you and I won't stop you. Because we need to be there for each other when we miss our little princess and mourn the fact that as much as we love her, she doesn't really exist. I need you, Klaus. Come back with me. Come back to me."

On instinct, she leaned forward and pressed her lips on his, gently at first then deepened the kiss when his hands wove around her hair, pulling her closer until the walls around them fell away, revealing they were indeed on the other side, with haunted creatures all around them, slowly becoming aware of their presence.

"Bonnie?" Caroline said worriedly as she clutched Klaus' hand tightly, "Anytime now would be good."

"Are you sure you want to take him with you?" Bonnie asked, staring hard at Caroline.

"She's made that pretty clear, witch." Klaus said eyeing the growing number around them warily, "We've overstayed our welcome, you included, Bonnie. Or have you forgotten the enemies you've made of your ancestors when you tapped such dark powers?"

Bonnie glared at him, "I see you're back to your old evil self. Just be grateful I'm not leaving you behind."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, witch. I'm fairly certain you're doing this out of guilt because for once I wasn't on the wrong side of things while you let Silas brainwash you into being his puppet." Klaus countered even as Caroline glared at him to shut up.

"This isn't the time for this. When we get home, you two can sort it out and throw plates or something at one another but not now. I don't know about you but those stares are bordering on creepy to threatening and I don't want to find out how they'll look once they're closer." Caroline said edging closer to Bonnie.

The witch ignored them both and started chanting. Slowly a seam formed in front of them, a rip that slowly grew into a small hole they could pass through. Bonnie went through followed by Caroline, who pulled Klaus along.

But just before they got out completely, Caroline felt Klaus let go, pulled away by something she couldn't see.

"No!" Caroline screamed, "Klaus!''

* * *

Caroline sat up, finding herself back where the ritual took place, where they had killed Silas. Everyone watched her, concerned, asking her a hundred questions at once. Was she okay? Can she stand? Does anything hurt?

Caroline looked for Bonnie in the sea of faces and once she did, she opened her mouth to ask if Klaus made it but couldn't find the words.

"I don't know." Bonnie said softly, answering the unspoken question, "I swear I tried to get him out but I don't know if…"

Caroline turned to Klaus' unconscious body and clutched his hand, "Wake up. Please. _Please._"

She laid her head on his chest, saying his name over and over, asking him to wake up. Rebekah sat next to her, sharing her hope and desperation as the seconds turned into minutes then hours until the dark night began to fade and they were still waiting.

"You were supposed to wake me up with a kiss not drown me in your tears," Klaus whispered as sunlight hit his face. He groaned as Caroline nearly knocked him back down when he tried to sit up.

Caroline punched him on the arm, "What the hell took you so long?"

"I didn't exactly stay to party, love. It took a while to get through when I lost you in there. It's not as if the witch was helpful enough to leave a map. There was also the matter of all my old enemies back there who were intent on keeping me there to exact various forms of revenge on me." Klaus pointed out.

Caroline narrowed her eyes at Klaus, looking him over, knocking on his head.

"Have you lost your mind?" Klaus exclaimed.

"Are you absolutely, 100% sure that Silas is not in your head anymore?" Caroline asked suspiciously.

"Really? After everything back there, you're asking me that _now_?" Klaus said

Rebekah smirked and stood up. She held out a hand to help Klaus up then embraced him. "Glad to have you back, brother. Always and forever."

"Always and forever," Klaus repeated to Rebekah before turning to Caroline who now stood beside him.

"What proof do you need, Caroline?" Klaus asked

"What's her name?" Caroline said softly, knowing somehow that even if she never said it during her brief time on the other side, she knew the right answer and she needed him to say it.

His jaw tightened and his blue eyes clouded over with pain as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Emma. Our little princess is called Emma. And I miss her."

With his words, Caroline broke down in tears, the pain of all they went through, all they lost, washed through her, cleansed her and as the sun rose above them, it gave her hope that today and everyday after would be better.

* * *

_A/N: Took a while to update but I hope you enjoyed that :) __ Will post the epilogue soon as I can. Thanks for reading!_


	8. Epilogue: Eternity

**Altered, Epilogue: Eternity**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

Mystic Falls was quiet, the cemetery especially so. Caroline sat on a stone bench and read all the names on the graves that she could see. Too many of them were familiar now. Soon, all those she had known when she was a human would be here. Her eyes rested on the name that gave her the most pain—her mother's.

Liz Forbes died a year after they defeated Silas. It was an accident, a drunk driver that beat a red light. It was nothing supernatural. There wasn't enough time for anyone to save her. She died instantly. It pushed Caroline to leave Mystic Falls. She ran from the only place she knew. It held too many of her memories, too much of them.

Caroline told herself she had always wanted to see the world. She convinced herself it was a smart choice because anyway, she would have had to leave sooner or later when the humans grew older and she did not. She was simply going ahead of Elena, the Salvatores and the Originals. Klaus.

She smiled as his name ran through her mind. He was angry with her for leaving without warning and became furious when it took him an entire year to find her. Caroline took such care to evade Klaus, taking measures that would have done Katherine proud.

* * *

_It was the fifth of February when he found her. Caroline was sitting on the sidewalk facing the street, watching a house so intently that she didn't notice Klaus until he had already sat down next to her._

"_I'm quite torn with wanting to yell at you for running away like that and just letting it all go out of gratitude that you're still in one piece," Klaus said quietly, looking at her intently._

_Caroline merely nodded toward the house in front of her, directing his attention to it, "I didn't think it existed here, on this side of things. I always thought that house was something Silas concocted and stuffed in our brains as some demented going away present. It was supposed to be a lie."_

"_How did you find this place?" Klaus asked as he watched the house with her, half expecting the door to open and a little girl would run out to play on the swings. _

_Caroline merely shrugged not trusting herself to speak as her eyes slowly filled with tears. She rested her head on his shoulder and let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. _

_Klaus shifted and placed an arm around her. His lips pressed on the top of her head as he held her tight. "Why did you finally let me find you?"_

"_Because it's February 5," Caroline answered softly as her arms went around his waist and she closed her eyes before continuing, "Happy Birthday, Emma. We miss you."_

* * *

They spent the decade since that day mostly apart. Klaus was as flawed and broken as a man could get, death and violence never far behind. Patience with his imperfections and disorder did not really sit well with Caroline, bringing out her inner drama queen more than once in a while. The months in Paris was when they got along, followed by a year apart with Caroline in Spain and Klaus somewhere in Tibet trying to forget the last argument they had. Then there was a year of bliss in London before Caroline spent two years in New York alone Klaus went off to Alaska.

But no matter where they were in the world, they would find their way back to each other every year on that same date. They never mentioned her again, the little girl that never was, but she was the force that helped them grow closer until Caroline forgot how to live without Klaus.

* * *

"_I imagined you'd be halfway around the world by now," Klaus said as he closed the door behind him. He looked around and noticed everything was as he had left it in the morning._

_Caroline frowned, "Why would you think that?"_

"_Sweetheart, you've done it every other year or so, in case you haven't noticed," Klaus pointed out, "I don't know if it was some emotional damage or just plain getting our of Mystic Falls that somehow made it easy for you to just pick up and leave but you're no longer the Caroline Forbes, small-town girl who knew nothing but pageants and prom."_

_Caroline rolled her eyes, "If I recall correctly, mister, you were the one who wanted me to get out there and experience the world, all it has to offer, blah, blah and blah."_

"With_ me," Klaus emphasized, "I didn't mean for you to keep running_ away_ from me."_

"_And we're back to that," Caroline said walking towards Klaus, "I get it. I've been…unstable these past few years but things have changed. We had an argument and knowing us, it won't be the last. It won't be enough to make me leave this."_

"_Exactly what is _this?" _Klaus asked crossing his arms on his chest, standing his ground, even as she smiled, laughter twinkling in her eyes._

"_Seriously? You want me to spell it out?" Caroline said tilting her head._

"_Yes, seriously," Klaus said firmly, "I've had enough mind games to last me another century, so some clarity will be appreciated."_

_Caroline stepped closed to Klaus, her arms encircling him. Klaus sighed and wound his arms around her as well. She leaned on his chest and whispered, "You and I…we can sit next to other in complete silence and it's enough. We can spend hours just talking about anything under the sun—from paintings to debating about the best reality show on TV. We can dance under the moonlight or in a noisy club and still it feels like we're the only people in the world. You show me the world, all its riches and history, and I show you the humanity in the middle of all of that. All of that is what we have, and even if I know I could, I don't want to try and live without it anymore."_

"_I'm not a good man, Caroline." Klaus said pulling back a little so he could look her in the eye, "There's a lot I've done that needs forgiveness and my future will be a mess of it, I guarantee you that. But I'm going to be selfish and tell you now that unless you choose to leave me, I won't let you go. I'm done living without you."_

_Caroline smiled, "Are you saying you love me?"_

"_I'm saying I do," Klaus said with small laugh._

"_I'm saying I do, too." Caroline said as she leaned forward to kiss him._

* * *

It was the beginning of the rest of her life. Everything shifted and for the first time, Caroline didn't need to be in Mystic Falls to be home. She stared straight ahead, her lips turning up in a smile when she felt someone next to her.

Klaus sat down on the bench towards the opposite direction, close enough that if they turned a little they would face each other.

"Have you ever thought about it again? Being human, I mean," Caroline asked in a faraway voice.

"Yes," Klaus answered after a long pause, "more times than I can count."

Surprised, Caroline leaned back to face him, "What changed?"

"Holding a child in your arms, being responsible for that life and having someone so innocent trust you so fully out of pure love can change a man irrevocably," Klaus breathed out, "Even if it was just in my head, somehow it still feels real and that I live that life with you, with _her_ and there are so many moments that I wish I'd wake up and this life is the dream. What I would give to see her grow up."

"I never did tell you how I found the house before, did I?" Caroline started, "I went to Bonnie a few months after…after _it_. I kept dreaming about that life, the little details that came to me about it. Giving birth, seeing her walk for the first time, hearing her first words and watching you be a father. I asked Bonnie if by some chance part of it was real and that I could sort of walk over to the other side and get Emma. It couldn't have felt that way and not be real, you know? And I remember Bonnie shaking her head and just giving me a hug. Then just before leaving I saw the box of stuff Silas left that Bonnie was about to burn and there was a picture of the house, _our_ house. It was the only thing that was real. It actually existed…but that was it."

Caroline turned her attention back towards the headstones. She read one a few steps away from where they were, "Has it been twenty years since we've been here?"

Klaus nodded, "The world has not been the same since it lost the last Bennett witch."

* * *

_Caroline and Klaus raced to Mystic Falls the second Elena called for help. Another evil, another apocalyptic threat, one or the other, maybe both, threatened her friends so Caroline dropped everything to go to them._

_But she was too late. The world was saved but Bonnie died for it. Elena was the one who got there first but with just enough time for her to see Bonnie die in the fire of her own spell. _

_Caroline found Elena sobbing in Damon's arms as she knelt before Bonnie's remains, a crumpled letter in her hand. Bonnie knew what she was doing. She scribbled a quick goodbye and that she was doing this for all of them. She loved them, no matter where they were in the world. She was saving the world for them. _

_Stefan came a few minutes after she and Klaus arrived, stricken with grief when he saw the damage was done. Rebekah was by his side, her hand covering her mouth as she gasped when she saw Bonnie. But it was the older man, the lone human who was brave enough to walk towards the body. Matt picked up Bonnie's lifeless form on the ground and carried it all the way to the Bennett home. _

_Bonnie's funeral a few days later was the only time Caroline could remember that humans, witches and vampires were in the same place, joined in grief over the passing of one they all cared about. _

_The vampires were the last to leave. Caroline and Elena stood side by side before the freshly dug earth, a new headstone placed over it with the name of their best friend._

"_Someday, all the people we know from this town will be gone, we will be forgotten and we can come home." Elena said, "We can all live here. Be a family. I don't want the next time that I see you be at another funeral."_

"_Matt." Caroline said in a broken voice, "We're going to outlive him too. We'll have to go through this again, Elena."_

"_Let that be the last then," Elena said, "Promise me that when it's right, we'll come back and live here again, even just for a while."_

"_If you promise to put up with the crazy vampire psychopath that follows me around," Caroline said tilting her head in the direction of Klaus, who rolled his eyes since he was able to hear everything they were saying._

_Elena laughed, sounding much like her old human self, "Deal. I've got my own version of that. I can't seem to shake him either."_

_Caroline turned to Elena and hugged her friend, "As long as Katherine stays away from this town when we're here, I think the plan is a go. See you when I see you, Elena."_

* * *

Caroline watched the sun begin to set on Mystic Falls. The sky was a blaze of colors as it slowly deepened into the night. She leaned against Klaus who simply sat there, silently supporting her.

"He didn't need saving, Caroline," Klaus said gently after a while, "Matt lived a long life and death was always his future as a human. He lived a long life, a good and happy one at that."

"I know." Caroline said in a hoarse voice, "But it doesn't mean I wish I could still keep him healthy and happy for a longer time."

"He was at peace in the end," Klaus said, "His family was by his bedside when he breathed his last. There was no pain."

"Good. That's good." Caroline said nodding, "Wait, how do you know this? Last I checked you were with _me_ when this went down."

"Give me some credit, love," Klaus said, "I'm a vampire. Extracting that information hardly requires any effort."

"Who did you compel?" Caroline asked suspiciously finally turning to Klaus.

Klaus threw his hands up innocently, "Just a nurse. It was all very harmless scenario. I was out of there without anyone the wiser."

"Heaven help me," Caroline muttered finally standing up, dusting herself off, "I don't even want to imagine how long after we settle in before you inevitably attract some sort of danger to this town."

"You mistake me for Elena, love." Klaus said placing an arm around her as they walked out of the cemetery, "If I recall, _I_ was the danger back then and the doppelganger was the magnet for trouble. Besides, I'm a changed man thanks to you."

Caroline raised her eyebrows at him, "Really, so you're telling me that no witch, werewolf, vampire or even human wants you dead? No one will come running here when they find out you've settled here and try to detach your head from your body?"

Klaus pressed his lips to the side of Caroline's head, "You worry too much, love. They'd be foolish to try. "

"It's actually the fools who try." Caroline pointed out, "And this time you won't have a hybrid army to command."

"I've got Elijah, Rebekah and you on my side. I don't need more than that." Klaus said

"And Elena, Damon and Stefan," Caroline added, "Hey, it's part of the deal when they decided to be my friend. They protect who I love and I'd do the same for them."

"See. Nothing to worry about. Let them come." Klaus said with a small laugh, "You really can't simply just say those three words, can you? Even after all these years. I'm not complaining just stating a fact that even if you mean them, you have never said it out loud."

Caroline stopped in the middle of the road to face Klaus. He raised his eyebrows in question but didn't speak, letting her take the lead.

"I love you." Caroline said simply.

She leaned in to kiss him and whispered those three words once more against his lips. She said it with no conditions, no questions and no apprehensions. It was the truth, and it has been for a long time that she could no longer remember when it started. And for as long as she existed, she knew it will hold true.

* * *

_A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. Thank you for reading this and especially for all the reviews. I loved reading them! :)_


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